Rise of a Regulator
by KasaiHitokage
Summary: This is my first story so please try and go easy on me. For the first couple chapters there won't be any bleach characters, they'll come later.
1. Chapter 1

**Rise of a Regulator**

Chapter 1

"So, what topic is this project going to be about this time?" Kimiko asked me." "It was something about what the Japanese are doing to try and save the planet." I replied.

"It's due on Monday morning and we are in groups of three so it would be easy, but we got..." I stopped talking when I realized she was staring off into the distance. "I'm boring you right now, aren't I?" I asked "What... Oh, no you're not boring me." she said, smiling politely. "How about we run to my house. Let's see who comes first." I challenged her, stuffing my textbooks into my backpack." Oh really? You're on!" she answered, her smile changing into a grin," I'll have a drink waiting for you." _That girl thinks she can beat __**me**__? _I thought to myself, running ahead._ We'll see who's going to win!_

Kimiko had been my friend for as long as I can remember. She lived pretty close to me, and since we were family friends we'd always hung out together. This race wasn't anything new; she always took the chance to try and beat me in everything she could.

A few minutes later, we were running down my street. She really was fast, but I could always outrun her. That didn't stop her from trying though; that's what made her so fun to be around. I stopped outside my home, and was waiting for her to catch up when my cellphone started ringing. I quickly looked to see if Kimiko was nearby, then flipped it open. Almost immediately Kyori started speaking.

"Ken. There have been cases of humans disappearing from their homes all over town. We need to find out where these people are disappearing to." "If I'm going to help," I said, sighing," I need to know the whole story. I'm already home, so I'll meet you here." "We'll finish that project eventually, don't worry." she said, laughing. I finished just in time to see Kimiko jog up to me, panting. "Hey, why don't you come in and we can do our homework there?" I asked. She agreed and we went inside. I took Kimiko to the kitchen and asked her if she didn't mind waiting while I did some research for the project. I ran upstairs and into my room and shut the door. "You're rather late." Kyori said, making me jump.

Apart from my regular life with school and family and friends, I worked as a Regulator, a member of a secret society that existed to protect the world from the evil that existed within it. Though many people don't believe it, souls and spirits really do exist in our world. When humans die they are to move on to the afterlife, where they stay for a while, after which they are reborn on Earth. Once in a while, a certain soul refuses to pass on, for whatever reason, and stays in this world, constantly seeking to fulfill in death what it could not in life. While some souls do find peace eventually, most of them linger for too long, and are consumed by feelings of sorrow and loneliness. These souls become angry and vengeful, and eventually become Void, creatures of pure hatred and evil, that only want to kill and destroy everything around them. We Regulators exist to help souls, normal and Void, pass on to the afterlife, by any means necessary.

Kyori was my Commander, and kept me up to date with activities of souls, especially void, around the area. Each Regulator is assigned a specific area to monitor, and a Commander controls a group of Regulators in a larger region. Whenever some suspicious activity seemed to occur, we were alerted and sent to take care of it. This time however, it seemed serious. Commanders don't usually drop by your house; it must have been something really bad for Kyori to agree to meet at my house. I was all ears when she began explaining what had happened.


	2. Chapter 2

"Listen well Ken. You know that Void activity has been increasing recently in our area, and you've been more active than you have in a while. But it seems that things have become much worse. The Void are arriving from a specific location, instead of popping up randomly over the place like they usually do. This can only mean that someone is controlling them". I quickly realized what she was saying. The Void were probably controlled by a Keros, and if they were all coming out of a certain place, it meant that there was a Keros around the area for sure.

Keros were rarely ever found in the world; most Regulators have rarely ever encountered a Keros, and most of those who do don't usually live to tell about it. Keros are created when an abnormally old Void, one that has been around the world and has been reaping souls for a while gains the ability to control its pure rage, and becomes a much more dangerous creature. Void kill and destroy to gain power, and it's an instinct for them; most are usually out of control and aren't very intelligent. A Keros however, has mastered its power, and regains some of its sanity, though remaining evil to the core. Most Void recognize that Keros are stronger than them, and follow its orders. Because of this, not only are Keros dangerous because of their intelligence, but because they control many groups of Void.

I was shocked by the news; I hadn't really been a Regulator for very long, and now there was a Keros around my area. How was I supposed to take it on? " What are we supposed to do, Kyori? You know better than I do that there's no way I can handle a Keros alone".

"Don't be a fool. The Tribunal has already sent orders to assemble a squad to handle it. A number of Regulators will help you with this mission, myself included". I sighed in relief. If Kyori was coming along, then maybe we'd stand a chance. It was true that I was an exceptionally gifted Regulator; while most Regulators were Initiated with firearms, I had been Initiated with my broadswords. Regulators rarely ever Initiated physical weapons; it was the sign of special power for a Regulator to receive them. Even with my strength however, I was severely inexperienced. I was glad for the company.

"All right then. I guess we should take care of the Keros as soon as possible," I said. "Don't worry, we'll head out now. The rest of the squad will meet us there". Without wasting any time, Kyori jumped out the open window and started heading down the street. I quickly followed her, hoping that Kimiko wouldn't ask too many questions later. We were at the location within a minute; an old graveyard near the outskirts of town. "Yea. Real original," I grumbled. "Think about it Ken. This is the one place where the Keros can operate without being disturbed". Kyori always though things through like that. I'd made it a point to try and learn as much as I could from her. That was why I'd risen up through the ranks of the Regulators so quickly; Kyori had been my role model since the beginning.

Soon after, 3 other Regulators arrived at the location, one after another. Raze, a quiet yet powerful man; Kino, one of the most eager Regulators you'd find; and Hina, who was pretty yet incredibly bossy. After a while I'd gotten to know most of the Regulators around my area on a first name basis; lately we'd ran into each other a lot when chasing Void. After quick hellos, Kyori called us to prepare ourselves; so many Regulators in one area would definitely have caught the Keros' attention. Sure enough, after a few moments, the ground began to rumble. The air grew warm and incredibly heavy, and soon enough a great rip appeared in the middle of nowhere, through which stepped out what appeared to be a young man. He appeared to be in his early twenties, and wore a simple yet elegant suit, which gave him the appearance of being just another person. The only thing that gave away his true identity were his burning amethyst eyes, and the maniacal smile that he wore.

"Welcome, Regulators. I see you've found me at last. My name is Mbanta. It's a pity we won't have the time to make acquaintances; you'll all be dead before the day is done!"

The battle was about to begin.


End file.
